This invention relates generally to World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWWWxe2x80x9d) based broadcast data system. More particularly, this invention relates to systems and services for providing one-way Internet data delivery over digital broadcast TV network.
In the next few years, digital television will become the overriding standard for broadcasting television and cable signals in the United States. This will require that all consumer households purchase new digital televisions or digital to analog converter systems which will allow the old fashioned analog televisions to convert the incoming digital signals to analog signals for viewing. Since cable signals are the ubiquitous providers of most television content today, consumers will also have to purchase or otherwise be provided with digital set top boxes which will be placed in the consumer""s home and hooked up to the digital television. The digital set top box will be adapted to receive the incoming digital signals from the local or regional cable headend and convert or descramble them into signals carrying the desired content for broadcast by the digital television. The digital set top boxes will be built according to particular standards promulgated by the government and standards committees and will have varying degrees of computing power.
The Internet or WWW has also become a ubiquitous part of our lives in the last part of the twentieth century. One of the downside of the Internet today is that in order to have access to it, one must own a fairly expensive personal computer. Even though personal computers have reduced greatly in price today, many individuals have no desire to purchase one and learn their intricacies in order to have access to the WWW. Additionally, providing real time access to complicated video content is not possible with current personal computers since the transport media and modems which must bring Internet signals to personal computers are not fast enough and do not have enough bandwidth to make this possible.
Some prior art systems such as have attempted to transport Internet signals to current analog television systems by placing a limited, customized server at the consumer""s premises and hooking up the server to the consumer""s analog television. This server is much less expensive than personal computer, and concomitantly much powerful. The same problems of speed and bandwidth still exist, and these servers will not interface with digital televisions without the use of the digital set top box described above and which is on the near horizon.
However with the advent of digital television and the build out of the hybrid fiber-coax infrastructure rapidly occurring in many communities throughout the United States today, it will soon be possible to provide enough bandwidth to meaningfully provide high content video signals to a device which will be able to handle digital signals with massive content therein. What remains to make transport of the signals practical is the speed of delivery, which if digital, could be accomplished by cable modems and the like.
There is therefore a long felt need in the art for systems, methods and software which can integrate Internet services with the coming digital television regime which will take the content-rich digital signals from cable networks. It will be greatly desired to provide access to the WWW through the Internet and broadcast the Internet on digital televisions of the future. Additionally, there will be a strong need for seamless integration of Internet services and digital television signals so that the consumer of both can easily access the Internet and watch the desired content without interruption. These needs have not heretofore been fulfilled in the art.
The aforementioned long felt needs are met and problems solved by one way broadcast systems provided in accordance with the present invention. The systems preferably comprise a headend cable system adapted to receive MPEG data, analog signals and signals from the Internet. Even more preferably the systems comprise means for converting the analog signals to MPEG signals and means for combining the MPEG data and converted MPEG signals. Still more preferably, the systems comprise means for transporting the combined signals to a digital signal.
Broadcast systems provided in accordance with the invention also accommodate the above described long felt needs. The broadcast systems preferably comprise means for combining Internet data streams and video data streams, means for transporting the combined data streams to a digital television, and means for integrating and converting the transported data streams for use by the digital television.
Still more preferably, methods of one way broadcasting accommodate these long felt needs. The preferably comprise the steps of combining Internet data streams and video data streams, transporting the combined data streams to a digital television, and integrating and converting the transported data streams for use by the digital television.
The systems and methods provided in accordance with the present invention thus provide seamless integration of Internet services and the coming digital television signals. The systems provide functionality in the headends of cable systems to multiplex MPEG video signals and Internet signals into MPEG channels which can be customized for each consumer""s particular use and demands. One way interactivity is provided and customized software at the local digital set top boxes allows the system to be versatile and economical. Such results have not heretofore been achieved in the art.
MORECAST service is a one-way Webcasting service that is carried using digital TV transport streams. MORECASTSM provides Webcasting service to digital set-top box in one way digital broadcast TV network such as Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) or DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) network or any other broadcast network. The service can generate additional revenue streams for network operators or content providers in majority of the one way digital video service coverage areas. By utilizing the high speed broadband network bandwidth, MORECASTSM can provide broadcast news, sports, local weather, and stock quote information from the World Wide Web to TV viewers at home. The MORECOM system also allows to broadcast web content in context to the digital video program being broadcasted. Consumers can also receive program synchronous Webcasting information for each segment of the digital video programming. For example, one can access additional Web based information such as a Web page about a TV commercial currently showing on TV. Furthermore, a consumer can access the Webcasting information interactively just like surfing through the Web. In addition, a consumer can access customized Webcasting content to his or her preference such as personal stock quotes or favorite sport teams news. In one-way networks, MORECASTSM enable users to have the real time interactive experience at very low cost.
There are three types of MORECAST services: MORECAST Broadcast Data: These are the HTML data broadcast universally throughout all the digital channels to all the clients associated with a headend. Examples include: Electronic Program Guide (EPG), MORECOM Home navigation page, general community information, breaking news, local weather information, local school information, etc. It is usually required that this information is on the broadcast data carousel for all the physical channels so that the user can always access these HTML data and watch any TV channel at the same time. MORECAST Simulcast Data: HTML based Webcasting content is associated with each digital broadcast TV channel. For each MPEG-2 program with a multiple program transport stream, there is a data carousel that carries HTML data coming from specific Web sites for different type of services. The carousel is synchronous with the digital broadcast program contents. Examples include: programming provider""s key Web pages, advertisement related to the program, news related to the program, etc. The simulcast data is available to all the clients who are tuning to the TV program segment that the data is associated with. MORECAST Personalized Data: HTML based Webcasting content is customized based on each user""s individual profile and viewing time. Statistically, many users may want to access a different subset of the real time information during specific viewing period. This information is also associated with each MPEG TV program but may not be synchronized with TV content. It should be available all the time from the data carousel upon each user""s demand.
The MORECOM system contains server products and client products. In a one-way HFC network, or satellite based delivery system, one way Webcasting service can be enabled through MORECOM server at the local headend or satellite distribution center. The Web based content can be multicasted in conjunction with digital video over the satellite or through the local headend to provide personalized Internet-based content on the MORECOM client""s TV set. (Also known as MORECAST).
Those with skill in the art will better understand the invention by reading the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the drawings which are first described briefly below.